About three years ago I had an ankle fusion. Now I have severe arthritis in my ankle and foot. I wear an ankle brace and take pain meds daily. The doctor says there's nothing more that can be done. I'd like to hear from others that have had an ankle fusion.

Music47

Last edited by music47; 02-20-2007 at 09:14 PM.

The following user gives a hug of support to music47:flint1951 (10-01-2011)

Interesting, the whole point of a fusion is to clean out the joint and allow it to fuse. Therefore, there should be no arthritis. I had a subtalar fusion, still pain but I am now told it will take anything up to a year to settle, it varies each day but is improving. Mine was to remove arthritis in a joint that was half fused at birth. Like the previous posting I am confused by your doctors remarks. Was yours a complete ankle fusion? Other joints will over compensate for the loss of any motion etc in the fused joint.

WTWCT
Thank you for your reply. Yes the ankle was fused. The surgeon took out a plate and screws from where another doctor attempted to fix my broken ankle. Then he cut the two ends of bone and put in two screws. After several months the ankle fused. The xrays show arthritis has developed.

Interesting, the whole point of a fusion is to clean out the joint and allow it to fuse. Therefore, there should be no arthritis. I had a subtalar fusion, still pain but I am now told it will take anything up to a year to settle, it varies each day but is improving. Mine was to remove arthritis in a joint that was half fused at birth. Like the previous posting I am confused by your doctors remarks. Was yours a complete ankle fusion? Other joints will over compensate for the loss of any motion etc in the fused joint.

Get another consultation. Foot and Ankle Sports Orthopedist.

Hi Blackbird
Thank you for your reply. The doctor said it was a complete ankle fusion. It sounds like what you said has happened. Other joints will over compensate for the loss of motion in the fused joint. I also have arthritis in my knees,shoulders,etc. I will get another opinion.

Wow, that better not be the case. I am having my ankle scoped and cleaned out in April. I do not want my ankle to fuse. I already have a triple fusion and the first met fused. I will also have my heel cut and placed under my foot and my fibula moved a little so that everything is in align.

Music: It is interesting that you said you have arthritis in your shoulder. I just did some research about fusions, it did say that your shoulder takes the brunt of the fusion also.

Wow, that better not be the case. I am having my ankle scoped and cleaned out in April. I do not want my ankle to fuse. I already have a triple fusion and the first met fused. I will also have my heel cut and placed under my foot and my fibula moved a little so that everything is in align.

Music: It is interesting that you said you have arthritis in your shoulder. I just did some research about fusions, it did say that your shoulder takes the brunt of the fusion also.

WTW
I am optimistic your surgery will go well. Are you in pain now? My prayers are with you.

Music
I have a foot drop and had a posterior tibial tendon transfer one month ago. One out of the 10 or so doctors I saw mentioned I was only a candidate for an ankle fusion (opposed to the 9 doctors who said i should have a tendon transfer). The doctor who recommended the ankle fusion said that if I had ankle fusion done, I would develop arthritis in my ankle and in ten years would need another surgery. Considering he was the only doctor suggestig ankle fusion, I wouldn't take his opinion that seriously but he did mention ankle arthritis was a severe side effect.

I don't know if everyone develops arthritis after an ankle fusion but unfortunately I did. If I didn't take pain meds I wouldn't be able to walk. I am 59 years old so that is probably a factor too. Thank you for your reply. Take care.

hi, wonder if someone could help me......had ankle fsion surgery 14 weeks ago........i was in a cast for 13 weeks and was given a boot with a 3/4 inch heel lift....complained to my doctor it made me fee off balance.....he has give me the go ahead to wear sneakers with a lift of about 1/2 inch.....i am walking very slow with a limp....and i am swelling up a bit.......also i am on an ebi machine that promotes bone growth....he showed me 3 exrays and 2 of them show complete fusion and the 3rd still shows area of black.....i guess my questions are how long will it take for me to walk without pain and a limp.......and also is a 1/2 inch heel lift going to be ok......

I had an Ankle Fusion about 2 years ago. A year after the surgery, the bolt had to be removed from my foot. Now I am in as much pain or more than I was before the surgery. My doctor is totally stumped. I am hoping he will suggest an ankle replacement. But for a 35 year old that would be a stretch. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I had a fusion about 2 years ago and am still in pain. I also live in a small town in WV. I had to have the bolt removed because it was backing itself out. Has your doctor said anything about an ankle replacement? Well I wish you luck.

I am in the same position. I had a subtalar joint fusion about 2 years ago and had to have the screw removed. I am still in a great deal of pain, have to take meds to even work. My doctor is at wits end. He suggested killing the nerve ending in the subtalar joint area, but I am not so sure I want to do that. Anyway, If anyone out there has any suggestions, Please Please Please let me know.

Alex: Did you have your ankle fused or your subtalar joint. What part of your foot is still in pain? The subtalar joint?

I had a triple fusion and the first met fused. I had bad pain near my subtalar joint. It was the heel and the fibula grinding when I walked. I just recently had my heel moved over and my fibula repaired.